The NFL’s Great Disgrace on Sunday

The NFL’s Great Disgrace on Sunday

Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday featured an event so foul, so vile, and so disrespectful to America, the flag, our men and women in uniform, and the memories of the fallen that I frankly wonder how anyone could justify watching or purchasing tickets to an NFL game ever again.

I’m speaking, of course, of Doug Pederson’s decision to go for it on 4th and 8 in the second quarter on Sunday. Have you ever, in your life, seen a more disgusting act on a football field? Instead of the usual nonsense, why doesn’t our president send a tweet about that?

Sure, Doug got bailed out by Jake Elliott, who was carried off the field in victory after kicking a game-winning 61-yard field goal, and Carson Wentz leading a game-winning comeback drive, the kind of thing Donovan McNabb failed to do for the last five years of his Eagles career. And yes, turning the ball over to the Giants didn’t technically result in any points, and the Eagles are now 2-1 and tied for first place in the NFC East.

But even so- why should Doug Pederson be let off the hook? Let us count the days until the upcoming reign of Eagles head coach Jim Schwartz and general manager Mike Lombardi.

Sure, something else happened too on Sunday, something disgusting, which also angered a whole lot of people across the nation, and for good reason. I’m speaking, of course, about… Odell Beckham, Jr., making like a dog and pretending to urinate in the Eagles’ end zone in the third quarter. Beckham’s antics marked a new low in the annals of disgusting behavior by Eagles opponents, breaking the record previously held by 15 different acts from over the course of Michael Irvin’s career.

Would a Buddy Ryan-coached team have ever stood for an opposing player doing that, in OUR end zone? Hell no. And because there was no bounty or proper revenge taken, the Eagles know what they have to do: Score a touchdown against the Giants at the Meadowlands, and actually urinate in their end zone. Totally worth the 15-yard penalty, if you ask me.

But thankfully, we have that field goal, and the win, to celebrate. But Angelo made a good point on the morning show Monday: Elliott’s 61-yard field goal was actually 70 yards, if you count the eight yards for the snap. Although if you think about it, Angelo’s math may be off- if you count the 10 yards for the end zone, it was actually 80 yards. What a kick! Elliott is now my favorite Eagles kicker ever, surpassing David Akers and Carey “Murderleg” Spear.

As for that other thing? I’m okay, as long as they keep politics out of Wing Bowl. Sorry, Chris Christie, you can't compete.

Other Philly sports takes:

- Former Eagle Nnamdi Asomugha recently co-produced and acted in the movie Crown Heights, which represented Nnamdi’s finest acting role since the time he acted like he deserved $60 million.

- The Angels are about to be eliminated from the AL Wild Card race, so now’s as good a time as any for the Phillies to make another run at Mike Trout. How about we offer Tommy Joseph, Cesar Hernandez and Ben Lively?

- How come that radio host in New York got indicted for a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme involving the selling of sports tickets, while Sam Hinkie continues to walk free for the same crime?

- Joel Embiid showed up at Sixers media day and says his X-rays are clear, which means he’s only about six months away from returning to action.

The Process is ready for primetime

The Process is ready for primetime

Basically, you saw everything you'd want to see from Ben Simmons, Dario Saric and Joel Embiid during the Rising Stars Challenge on All-Star Friday night, as they kept doing what they've basically done all February: winning.

Ben Simmons was electric all over the court, ending with 11 points (5-5 FG, mostly dunks), six boards, a game-high 13 assists and a team-high four steals. A still-locked-in Dario Saric was the beneficiary of a handful of those dimes, ending with 18 points (7-11 FG, 4-7 3PT), three boards and five assists.

Joel Embiid had an underwhelming stat line in his thankfully clipped playing time (just eight minutes after sitting out Wednesday's game — we'll see him more on Sunday), ending with just five points and two boards, and not exactly displaying the defensive dominance we're accustomed to from our big man. But the five points came on back-to-back possessions in the third, where JoJo nailed a top-of-the-break three and then scored on a dunk following a Fultzian spin move to the basket, showing the range of his skills in an appropriately breathtaking (and Internet-slaying) manner.

And of course, the Sixers — I mean, Team World — won handily, outscoring Team USA in every quarter and ultimately triumphing 155-124. Even though Sacramento's Bogdan Bogdanovic took home MVP honors on the night for his white-hot shooting night (26 points on 9-16 FG, including a handful of Steph Curry-esque extended pull-up triples), I thought Simmons was the best all-around player on the floor, another thumb in the eye of the All-Star committee that snubbed him (four times!) for the proper game on Sunday night.

Perhaps more importantly, the Sixers' presence just dominated the game altogether. Hell, they made up 3/5 of Team World's starting lineup — no other team had more than two representatives, across both squads, though the Lakers would have were Lonzo Ball available — and in the broadcast booth, the TNT guys couldn't stop talking about Embiid all night, comparing him to Hakeem and debating whether they'd ever seen a big man of his versatility before.

And to think, this year they'll actually be represented on Saturday and Sunday, too. Hopefully Ben and Dario get a nice, relaxing All-Star break from here — they've certainly earned it — and now, it's Embiid's spotlight. The Process is ready for primetime, baby, and longtime Trusters should make sure to enjoy this moment as much as JoJo himself undoubtedly will.

Chris Long defends LeBron James after attack from Fox News host

Chris Long defends LeBron James after attack from Fox News host

Chris Long is beloved by Philadelphians for much more than rocking a full-lenghth faux fur during the Eagles' Super Bowl championship parade. Most in Philly respect Long because he is one to speak his mind on whatever topic he sees fit. He's also a man of action, not just talk.

As someone who hears "stick to sports" on a regular basis, this commentary hit close to home for the Eagles defensive end.

Long took exception and wanted to point out some of the people Ingraham's own network has on for their own political commentary. He launched into a Twitter thread pointing out some of the political experts.

I’ll be replying to my own tweet with a collage of your network allowing political commentary from a few folks. https://t.co/WUGl1WQSLE

I’m sure the network she works for has interviewed a bunch of athletes, just couldn’t find the screenshots quickly. The point is, what’s the prerequisite for who can talk politics? So, Fox News folks who agree with Laura... you okay with these segments?

And if you reply “stick to sports,” you should probably tune of out Fox News because they’ve got karate guys talking climate change on there. (Which I’m cool with... it’s his right.) Unless it’s just about you needing to feel like you’ve got control of athletes like Lebron.